Ice planing and ridging machine



(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN Ii. SMITH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

ICE PLANING AND RIDGING MACHINE.

EiPEGIEICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 340,737, dated April. 2'7, 1886.

Serial No.1G8flTG. (N model.)

lowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to machines adapted for planing the snow and soft ice from the tops of ice-blocks and ridging the top faces of the blocks as they pass to the ice-house, so that the clear ice-blocks may be packed away and will not freeze together.

The present invention, which is an improvement on that described in Letters Patent isi 5 sued to me on the 30th of December, 1884, and

numbered $10,093, has for its object to simplify the construction and facilitate the effective operation of machines of this character; and it consists in particular constructions and combinations of parts of the ice planing and ridging machine, all as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in

2 5 which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of my improved ice planing and ridging machine, with the ice-slideway partly broken out. Fig.

2 is a plan view, partly in section, and Fig. 3

is a rear cross-sectional elevation.

The letterA indicates the slideway up which the blocks I of ice are moved by the carrierchain 0, and its cross bars or drags c on their 5 5 way to the ice-house, in the usual manner.

At 13 B are shown posts or standards which are fixed to the opposite sides, a a, of the slideway A, and have slots I) Z), in which are fitted the blocks I) I), in which the transversely- 0 ranging shaft E has its bearings, and pins'd (I,

passed through the blocks D D, and through any opposite pairs of series of holes, a e, in flanges b 1), formed on the posts B B, will hold the shaft Eat any desired height across the 4 5 slideway. The posts B are braced to the sides of the slideway by the stay-bars 1) b To the shaft E are rigidly fixed the opposite arms or bars, F F, which carry at their outer ends the knife and brush holding frame G, which has a cross bar, H, to which the curved renting or advance cutters J are held, which cutters-preferably four in numberare spaced across the slideway and present their edges to the advancing iceblocks I, and beyond the cutters J is held across the slideway by hangers 7; k, pendent from the frame G, the ice planing and ridging knife K, which has formed in its lower face the grooves 7c 7;, which, with the straight forward edge of the knife, present a cutting-edge to the advancing blocks of ice. Set-screws 7.: bind the hangers k in socket-pieces fixed to the frame G, so as to hold the knife K at any desired height from the bed of the slideway.

To the knife K, or it may be to lugs fixed to the knife, are pivoted the bars L, the other ends of which are pivoted to hangcrbars Z, held in socket pieces fixed to the forward cross-bar, g, of frame G by set-screws 1, allowing the bars L to be raised or lowered so as to bear on the upper faces of theice-blocks I, to prevent them from being tilted by the action of the knife K on them, so that the iceblocks will not be displaced from in front of their respective drags c, of the carrier, as they leave the knife.

At M is shown a brush which sweeps the ice-cuttings from the iceblocks as they pass from the knives, the brush being held to framebar so as to be adjustable 'crtically, as may be required.

In rear of the cutters J a frame, N, consisting preferably of iron pieces a, forming shoes, and connected by iron cross-bars, is held to the bars F F, and the lower edges of shoesa are beveled, as at a, so that the advancing ice-blocks I will strike their inclined faces a and lift the knifeframe until the faccsn" of the shoes rest on the ice'blocks as they pass along, and the faces a" will form a gage to limit the depth to which the cutters J and K shall enter the ice-blocks.

The cutters J may be made so they can be adjusted vertically, if desired.

To one end of the shaft E is rigidly fixed the lever O, which extends toward the knifeframe G, and may be raised by an attendant to lift the planing-knives, so they will not act on worthless ice-blocks which may chance to pass along the slideway A, thereby saving power; and the frame may be lowered again, to allow the cutters to operate, by lowering the lever. It will be seen that as the blocks I of ice move forward the cutters J first will act on them to rout most of the snow and soft ice from the tops of the blocks, and next the knife I will act to dress off the top faces of the blocks and form the projecting ridges i i thereon, as in Fig. 2, and the brush M will sweep the cuttings from the blocks, so they will be carried in clean condition to the icehouse, for being piled on each other, the ridges 2' serving to prevent the blocks from freezing together in the house and permit their easy removal when required.

By raising or lowering the shaft E in the standards B B the knife-holding frame G may be adjusted as required, to secure the best action of the cutters on ice-blocks of any average thickness.

The shaft E may be supported directly on the pins 11 (Z in the standards, and the bearingblocks D be dispensed with, if desired, as shown in Fig. 2.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters A, having slotted standards B, and the cutter- 25 frame G, of the shaft E, adjustably journaled in the standards B, the lever O, fixed to shaft E, and the bars F, connecting the frame G rigidly to said shaft, substantially as shown and 7 described, whereby by operating said lever 0 O the entire cutter-frame can be raised to permit free passage of poor blocks of ice, as set forth. r

2. In an ice planing and ridging machine, the combination, with the ice-slideway A, its 5 carrier, and the cutter-carrying frame G, of the gage-shoes 11, having inclined faces a and bearing-facesaf, and fixed to frame G, substantially as herein set forth.

3. In an ice planing and ridging machine, 40 the combination, with the ice-slideway A, its carrier, and the planing and ridging knife K, supported above the slideway, of the presser bars L, substantially as herein set forth.

STEPHEN L. SMITH.

Vitnesses:

ALBERT KANN, KARL HOOHE. 

